


in dreams of you

by DirtyBrian



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7923136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DirtyBrian/pseuds/DirtyBrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I haven’t been safe since the moment I stepped on the TARDIS!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	in dreams of you

_Her eyes were colder than he’d ever seen them. She glared at him, anger and loathing and disappointment warring for supremacy. **  
**_

_“Rose,” he started, but he was swiftly interrupted._

_“Save it, Doctor.” She crossed her arms, body language completely closed off. “What could you possibly say for yourself?”_

_“I-I’m sorry.” He sounded pathetic, even to his own ears._

_“For what? For abandoning me at the Game Station? For sending me away at Canary Wharf? For watching me fall into the Void and not doing anything? What?!” Her voice increased in volume until she was nearly screaming at him. There were two bright red spots on her cheeks, marring her otherwise smooth skin._

_“All of it, Rose!” he cried desperately, frustration bubbling up in him. Why couldn’t she see that he just wanted to keep her safe?_

_“Safe?!” she spat incredulously Had he spoken aloud? “I haven’t been safe since the moment I stepped on board the TARDIS!”_

_Her words stung more than he could have predicted, and he took a step back. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he was unable to form a response._

_“What, nothing to say for yourself?” She laughed, a dull, humorless noise that chilled him to his core. “You know the worst part, though? Despite all of it, despite the pain and the grief you caused me over and over again, despite you letting me fall…I still loved you.”_

_Her voice cracked, and all the anger drained out of her. She slumped, looking at “I loved you so much, Doctor.”_

_“Rose,” he breathed, a sharp pain cutting into his hearts. “I love you too.”_

_“It’s too late, Doctor. You should have said something before.” Her eyes weren’t angry anymore, just sad and resolute. “I’m done with letting you break my heart over and over again.”_

_He took a step forward, arms outstretched, her name on his lips. Before he could touch her, Rose exploded into a million shards of gold, dissolving in front of his eyes. A shard cut his hand, bright red blood contrasting with his pale flesh. Distantly, he could hear her voice._

_“Goodbye, my Doctor.”_

_“_ NO _!”_

He sat up straight in bed, hearts hammering and ringing in his ears. His bedsheets were clutched in his hands, nearly tearing the fabric with the force of his grip. The TARDIS, sensing his panic, hummed reassuringly in his mind, but her presence barely penetrated his post-nightmare haze.

“Rose,” he choked out, trying to rouse his lover. He needed to hear her voice, needed to hear her reassurance that she wasn’t going anywhere. He needed to wrap her in his arms and never let her go. When she didn’t respond, he reached over to shake her awake. “Rose love, wake up, please.”

The bed was empty.

In an instant, the memories from the past few weeks came flooding back: Canary Wharf. Rose, trapped in another universe. The words he’d been unable to say, watching her crying on the beach. Rose was gone.

The realization hit him hard, and he felt a fresh wave of panic overcome him. A choked sob escaped his throat, and he tried to take a breath before his emotions overwhelmed him. Distantly, he wondered why he could hear someone calling for Rose in a thin, desperate voice. She couldn’t hear him, she was gone.

Forever.


End file.
